Damsel In Distress
by SerpentineOffering
Summary: Hermione goes back to Hogwarts to finish her seventh year after the war and finds comfort in the arms of someone she never thought would even give her a second look. Blaise/Hermione.


I watched as the rain fell gently outside the girls dormitory window,  
splattering against the pane of glass. Things were so different this year, I had  
come back for my last year so I could finish my exams and graduate, it had been  
an option that I couldn't pass up. Lightening streaked across the sky  
illuminating the emptiness of my eyes.

Ron and Harry hadn't come back  
with me, I was all alone. Of course they didn't need to, they had gotten the  
career they wanted handed to them because of the war. Aurors. I rolled my eyes  
and let them fade away in my mind, things weren't so good between us these days.  
It wasn't for their lack of trying I guess I had just changed too much for them  
to handle. I was too sick of being the know-it-all, the bookworm, the  
mudblood..

Sighing I thought back to the first day of the school year,  
it hadn't taken long for Malfoy to notice my presence nor for him to notice my  
friends hadn't returned with me. I was all alone and he made sure I knew it,  
constantly trying to corner me to make me feel worse about the situation I was  
in, always reminding me that my best friends had left me. Of course I knew I was  
being selfish, they were taking their courses in a different location, I hadn't  
really been paying attention when they told me exactly where it was yet I still  
felt so deserted.

Schooling had never really been important to either  
of them but too me it was everything, I had to admit it still was. I still  
wanted to be the best, I still wanted to let useless knowledge sink into my  
brain, I still wanted that feeling of satisfaction when I got a test back with a  
great grade... I just didn't want that to be ALL I wanted.

Another  
streak of lightning lit the sky in a chain reaction, it dissappeared into the  
trees of the Dark Forest and I found myself needing a walk. Standing up from the  
edge of the window where I had been seated I made my way through the girls  
dormitory and down the stairs that led to the common room. It was packed with  
faceless people, I didn't notice my name being called nor did I notice the  
worried look that lined Ginny Weasly's face. I kept going only stopping for a  
second to open the portrait door.

The pitter patter of my shoes echoed  
in my ears as I made my way down the stone corridor. It was well past curfew,  
almost eleven thirty at night but I didn't care. I was a prefect after all, I  
just had to say I was doing some rounds.

My feet took me down too the  
entrance hall and I paused at the door. I just wanted to be away from  
everything, to let the rain wash away the memories from the war, the distress I  
felt at the ending of my relationship with Ron who had said he needed to focus  
on his career. I was just a distraction apparantly. I needed to find solice in  
the trees, to be one with nature I guess you could say.

Unsure about  
breaking the rules, it was not something that I normally did, I was a good girl  
after all, Hermione Granger, smartest girl of her year, the golden girl and all  
that yet I still reached my hand out and pulled at the abnormaly large door that  
not too long ago had been blown off it's hinges, rubble surrounding it. It's  
amazing what magic could fix I thought to myself as I made my way down the stone  
steps and onto the green grass.

It was chilly out, rain splashed  
against my face and for a moment I just stood there, eyes searching the sky for  
answers to no particular question, the moonlight bathing me in a soft glow. My  
hair was already soaked, droplets of water running down my shirt and quickly  
drenching my grey t-shirt and bra. I shivered at the contact, the wind brushing  
against my skin coldly, almost in warning;

I stared stubbornly ahead, I  
didn't care if I got sick, I just need the space from real life, space from the  
war, everywhere I looked in the castle a memory surfaced and I was tired of it.  
I just wanted to lead a normal life.

My hair stuck to my forhead as my  
feet took me to the edge of the forest, it looked dark and foreboding but  
surprisingly fear did not well inside me, confident I moved closer and was about  
to enter completely into the darkness when I heard a voice behind me.

My heartbeat raced as I turned around, infront of me stood Blaise  
Zabini, a boy I had never even spoken to before, his hair also plastered to his  
face, blue eyes sparkling with curiousity and a small smirk playing at his lips.

'Granger?' He asked slowly.. 'Did you hear me?'

'No' I stated  
flatly, a look of shock lined his features but just as soon as it was there it  
had vanished.

'What are you doing out here this late? The weather is  
horrendous.'He asked, his forehead wrinkling with a frown.

'I fancied a  
walk..' I started, mumbling 'obviously' underneath my breath.

'A walk in  
the cold? In the rain? What could possibly motivate you to do such a  
thing?'

I looked down at my shoes, I had sunk a little in the mud the  
rain had created, self consiously I put my arms around my body, I hadn't  
realized that I had forgotten a robe nor that I was only wearing a pair of  
sleeping shorts under my grey t-shirt which was now shamelessly clinging to my  
curves, accenting the swell of my breasts.

'I just needed to..' I  
started, looking up from the mud and into his penetrating gaze and instantly my  
words died in my throat.. I had never before in my life seen such beautiful  
eyes, it was dark out but I could see the light specks of green that flecked  
those perfect blue eyes. Heat rushed inside me and I turned my head away trying  
to hide the blush that rose to my cheeks.

'To get away?' He finished  
for me, the question dancing on the end of his tongue.

'Yes' I  
breathed, shame filling me at the thought that I had almost done something  
completely wreckless just to feel something again.

He didn't say  
anything, just looked at me some more, understanding etched on his face. 'You  
should go inside, Granger. Your half naked and it's getting colder out here.' He  
replied, giving me a short nod before turning around and making his way back  
across the grounds toward the castle.

I watched him leave, the  
moonlight shining against his back, his dark hair glowing in it. I felt an odd  
sense of sadness at his departure. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but I  
hadn't felt as empty with him there. That was strange.

Lightning  
flashed through the sky once more and I slowly made my way back through the  
grounds as well, the rain had started to let up but the air still held that damp  
chill. I brushed my hair from my forehead and once again fell into the memories  
that had taken place here not even a year ago. Regrets filled my mind and once  
again I felt like I was drowning. How long could I go through this?

Days and nights passed in a blur, this morning I found myself staring at my  
reflection in the bathroom mirror, I felt so plain. Of course I never really  
cared about my looks but as I glanced at my self I noticed all the imperfections  
of my face. My nose was slightly too large, my once passionate chocolate brown  
eyes were now dull and empty with a darker shade of skin circling them, my skin  
had a pale tinge too it from my sleepless nights and my lips looked like they  
were permenantly held in a frown.

Stepping back I let my eyes trail  
over my body, I had definately blossomed and developed in all the right places  
but my skin was stretched tightly over my bones from the lack of appetite I had.  
In fact I had sat in the Headmistress' office more than once because of not  
eating enough, obviously I should start listening to her more from my  
appearance's sake.

I turned around sadly, my eyes catching on the white  
skin that held the scar on my arm. 'Mudblood' glared up at me, a constant  
reminder of the manor, of the war. Things would never change. That's who I was.  
I was just a mudblood in the eyes of most of the wizarding world, no matter how  
much work I did nor how much I tried to do well by everyone that would never  
change. I was just filth under their shoes.

I felt the burning in my  
eyes as tears surface, shutting them desperately I cursed myself, I had promised  
myself months ago that I wouldn't cry anymore. It was a weak thing to do.  
Sighing I left the bathroom and made my way down to the great hall, it was  
rather empty this early in the morning and I let myself share a weak smile with  
the hall, it was as empty as I on the inside.

I dropped onto the bench  
and subconciously scooped some food onto my plate, I would eat today I decided.  
I needed the nourishment. Slowly I buttered a roll and brought it to my lips, my  
face flinching in disgust at the smell, closing my eyes I opened my mouth and  
took a small bite and forced myself to chew.

I looked around the hall  
distracted by the people that groggily made their way to their house tables and  
began plating their food. It was only a couple seconds later when brown eyes met  
blue and the heat began to flood into my body again. There he was again, sitting  
at the Slytherin table next to ferret boy his eyes blazing into mine a frown on  
his face.

I quirked an eyebrow and went back to eating the miniscule  
amount that I was able to stomach and stood quickly and rushed out of the hall  
heading for the library. It was Saturday which meant I could spend the entire  
day doing as I wished, away from all the students.

'Hermione?' Came a  
tentitive voice behind me.

Slowly I turned around noticing that the  
voice belonged to Ginny. 'Hey Gin' I replied, it was easier to pretend nothing  
was wrong, answering a bunch of questions seemed like the worst possible  
situation at the moment especially when all I wanted to do was dive into a book  
and lose myself and my surroundings.

'Are you alright.. you've been a  
little.. withdrawn lately?' The redhead asked, concern etched into her eyes.

I sighed, Ginny had always been a good friend to me and I appreciated  
her very much but this wasn't something I could talk to her about, in fact it  
was something I wasn't able to talk to anyone about. It was a memory that  
haunted me and they would never look at me the same if they knew. It was my  
burden to carry and mine alone. I looked her in the eye once more and let a  
small smile play on my lips. I had gotten better at acting. 'I'm fine Ginny,  
just stressed about NEWTS and all..' I replied, waving my hand  
nonchalantly

Ginny gave me a genuine smile, I had obviously been  
convincing. 'Your going to get the best scores out of everyone, Hermione. Don't  
stress yourself out so much!' She replied lightly. 'And start eating more!' She  
added before enveloping me in a hug.

I grimaced at the touch, but  
thanked her nontheless and made my way to the library. The halls were empty,  
everyone was still at breakfast thankfully. Pushing open the door to the library  
I made my way in, Madame Pince clicked her tounge in frustration when she saw  
me, she had tried pushing me out to 'get sun or do something young adults  
normally do' yesterday but I hadn't listened. I just ignored her and kept  
reading, today would be the same I expected.

Dropping my bookbag on the  
table in the back corner which had become my favorite because of its seclusion I  
let myself sink into the chair and stared at my hands for a moment. What had I  
become? Why couldn't I let this go? Giving myself a self-pitying sigh I stood up  
and walked to one of the bookshelves. My fingers grazed each book as I walked  
down the aisle, all I had to do was choose a book and it would take me to  
another place. A place far away from here. If it wasn't for my education which  
was important to me I would have left long ago.

'What does a book have  
that the real world doesn't?' A voice said from the shadows.

I nearly  
jumped out of my skin, I hadn't even heard his footsteps leading up to me, I had  
obviously been in my own little world. I glanced over at Zabini as he stepped  
out of the shadows and my flesh started to heat up once more, I didn't quite  
understand why that always happened when his eyes were on mine but I wasn't sure  
if I liked it. I looked at his face and for the first time was able to take in  
everything but his eyes, his tanned skin and slightly thin lips... snapping out  
of it I looked back into his eyes and saw he was waiting for a reply.

'A book offers.. forgiveness' I said, shocking myself at my honesty.

'What would you possibly need to be forgiven for? Your hard working,  
you helped save the world, you really don't have a bad bone in you, Granger.' He  
said softly.

'You'd be mistaken thinking that' I replied, grabbing a  
book off the shelf and storming away. I don't know what had made me so angry,  
maybe it was the way he had assumed that I was completely innocent, maybe it was  
the way that my heart raced faster when he spoke, I really didn't know but I did  
know that I needed to get away from him. My thoughts were not coherent in his  
presence and that could be dangerous, he was a Slytherin after  
all.

'Granger!' He shouted making me speed up. 'Hey!  
Wait!'

'What?' I snapped, heat flooding my veins although again I  
couldn't tell whether it was anger or.. I really didn't know. I was confused and  
that frustrated me which made my brain hurt because obviously I tried to over  
annalyze everything about the situation.

'What did I say? I didn't mean  
to offend you..'He said, his eyes shining with honesty.

'I'm sorry.. ' I  
muttered.

'What's going on with you Granger? Since you've been back  
you've been different, I can see it clearly. You're not the same girl you once  
were... ' He replied and when I didn't answer he continued. 'I've been watching  
you, you know? You rarely smile and when you do it's not a real one, you're  
barely eating and your dropping weight at a rapid pace, I can tell your barely  
sleeping and I hear your roomates whisper about the nightmares you have at  
night..' His voice seemed to trail away.

I did the only thing I knew how  
anymore and I plastered a fake smile on my face, knowing very well he would see  
right through it but tried anyway. 'It's just the NEWTS, Zabini. Don't worry  
about me.' I said kindly and walked away.

A warm hand grabbed me around  
the wrist and turned me around, I was incredibly close to him and that's all I  
could focus on, I realized just how tall he was when I stared straight ahead and  
saw his neck. He smelt like spice and leather and I had to admit I really liked  
it. I let my eyes flutter closed hoping beyond everything that he would just  
drop it and leave but he didn't. I knew he wouldn't. There was something  
incredibly different about Blaise Zabini from the rest of the Slytherins. He  
seemed almost genuine in his concerns.

'I am worried. I don't know why  
and I can't explain it but watching you slowly kill yourself is not something  
that I really enjoy doing.' He said lightly.

'Then don't' I replied  
bluntly, tugging my hand free of his grasp. I gave him one last glare and  
grabbed my bookbag and ran out of the library. I heard his frustrated growl but  
refused to look back.

My shoes slapped against the stone and my chest  
began to burn as I struggled to get oxygen into my body, I had ran faster than I  
expect and soon the bright sun shone down on me from the sky. It was  
surprisingly warm out for October and not a storm cloud in sight. Stopping for a  
moment to catch my breath I let my eyes wander the courtyard, there were a  
couple students out here but not enough that made me feel like I needed to leave  
which I was thankful for, the sun had given me a warmth that I had been missing  
for quite a while and I decided that sitting in the grass would be a nice way to  
spend a couple hours.

Letting my shoes slip off I put my bare feet on  
the grass, I loved that feeling. The feeling of blades of grass in between your  
toes, the fresh scent of nature swimming around you. It really was a beautiful  
sight. Even through everything that had happened that was one thing that I could  
always appreciate - nature. Nature didn't start wars or purposely try to hurt  
someone, it was beautiful and made her smile despite the inner turmoil sinking  
within her.

'It's nice to see you smile for once' Came that silky voice  
I had just ran from. Groaning I looked up at the tall dark boy standing in front  
of me, scratch that I thought, he was definitly a man. A gorgeous, gorgeous man  
i admitted to myself in frustration.

'What do you want, Zabini?' I asked  
gruffly, getting frustrated that he was everywhere when all I wanted was silence  
and to be alone. 'Are you following me?' I asked suspiciously, her eyes  
narrowing.

'Yes' He replied simply, a smirk tugging at his  
lips.

'Why?' I asked meekly. Why couldn't he just leave me  
alone?

'Would it be so hard to believe that I care, Hermione?' He asked,  
his use of my first name not going unnoticed.

'Of course it would,  
Zabini. You're a slytherin, aren't I just dirt under your shoe? I'm just a  
mudblood, not worthy of your company!' I spat, anger flashing through me so fast  
it made my head spin. I knew it wasn't right to blame him for my frustration  
with myself, nor to assume that he was just like Malfoy and the rest of his  
slimy family but I couldn't help it, I had turned cynical and sarcastic, I  
really didn't like it but it had become a habit, and habits are hard to  
break.

He stared at me, his lovely blue eyes staring at me in shock,  
shaking his head he looked me in the eye and spoke softly. 'Not all of us are  
like that Hermione, not all of us share the Malfoy's view on muggleborns, you  
know' His voice sounded sad and ashamed.

'I've been marked a mudblood  
and that's all I think about when it comes to Slytherins' I said gruffly,  
ashamed myself at my outburst.

'..Marked?' He asked cautiously 'How does  
one become marked that term?'

My eyes became dull once more and I just  
reached out my arm and pulled out my sleeve up exposing the slander that had  
been carved into my arm. I looked up and my eyes met his, sadness and  
repulsiveness lingering there and mingling. I pulled my arm away and yanked down  
my sleeve once more, the silence was defening. I don't really know why I had  
showed him, I hadn't shown anyone before not even Harry or Ron and I hated  
myself instantly. I had let this man see something that nobody else had seen and  
the repulse that shot through his eyes made my heart hurt.

'I'm sorry' I  
muttered, I wasn't really sure why I was apologizing but I felt the need to. I  
had obviously disgusted him and that was not something I wanted to do, I don't  
know what it was about him but when he was around I felt like I couldn't get  
enough of his gaze or his voice which is why I kept running away from him I  
suppose.

'Why are you sorry, Hermione?' He asked, dropping to the  
ground to sit beside me on the grass. 'You are not a mudblood. You are a brave  
and intelligent muggleborn who deserves a lot of respect' He added.

'Why  
are you being so nice to me?' I asked, drawing my knees up to my chin and  
peeking a look at him.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before he  
answered. 'To be honest, I don't know. I've never hated you, any of you  
actually, I'm a Slytherin yes but I was never one for the whole 'Slytherins are  
the only people that should be in this school, to hell with muggleborns and  
half-bloods' He mimicked, his head rocking side to side as he spoke. 'I don't  
like being told what to do or who I can talk to so I just chose to be on the  
sidelines. I've always respected you but lately.. I can't really get you out of  
my head, your always in my mind and I hate seeing you like this. So frail and  
meek. You're a strong woman, Hermione. You deserve better than what your doing  
to yourself' He finished strongly, his eyes searching hers for some kind of  
emotion.

I had an inner battle with myself at that moment and before I  
had really decided what to do I spoke the three words that I had been dying to  
tell someone, hoping that someone would understand. 'I killed someone;' I turned  
my head to look him full in the face, fear itching inside my  
stomach.

'Why?' He asked after a moment of silence.

'It's hard  
to explain.. ' I said quietly. 'It was Rudolphus Lestrange.. during the war we  
had all agreed not to use unforgiveables, to capture as many as we could to send  
back to Azkaban... He got the better of me when I wasn't looking' I whispered,  
barely audible and he had to lean a bit closer to actually hear me. Tears  
streaked silently down my face as I continued. 'I tried to get him off of me.. I  
really did.. I was so scared and he just wouldn't let me go!'

'Didn't  
anyone else help you?' Blaise asked quietly, scared he would upset the witch in  
front of him.

'We.. we were to far away.. he had dragged me closer to  
the forest, I can still remember the feeling of his breath on my neck.. his  
hands on my body' I said. 'He held my hands above my head..' I paused for a  
moment, I wasn't sure if I could finish telling him my story but I had to admit  
that it felt good to get it out of my system, for someone else to know what had  
happened. 'He..'

'He raped you.. didn't he?' Blaise asked, his voice  
quivering in what I thought was disgust at first but when I looked into his eyes  
I realized it was anger. I didn't need to answer his question, he saw it in my  
eyes.

I looked back down at my hands and let the relief wash over me at  
his words. 'He deserved to die, Hermione. That isn't your fault. It was a war,  
you were protecting yourself, any sane person would have done the same in your  
position.' He said strongly, wrapping his arm around me and pushing me to his  
chest. That was all it took before my silent tears tearned into choked sobs.

I could feel his hand on my back, rubbing up and down my spine in a  
soothing way. I was surprised when I felt him gently kiss my forehead and I  
looked up at him. He gave me a small smile and another kiss on the head. 'It  
will be okay Hermione, don't worry.' He said 'If you keep doing this to yourself  
your letting him win, you need to be strong, to let the real you come back out  
of the shell it's hiding in. I can help you if you want, it's going to take time  
and patience but I will be there for you.' He added, giving me a reassuring  
smile.

'You're right' I said, sitting up. 'I don't want to let him win.  
I don't want him to kill me from beyond the grave, I want to be strong again,  
Blaise. I really do.'

'Well' He said with a smile tugging on his lips.  
'The best way to do that is to start with actually eating a full meal. You'll  
feel better' He replied. My stomach growled in responce and we both started  
laughing. It felt weird to hear my own laughter echoing in my ears but it was a  
great feeling and I had the mysterious man in front of me to thank for that.

'Thank you, Blaise' I whispered, leaning my head on his chest once more  
and breathing in his scent.

'Don't thank me yet, we still have a lot of  
work to do, witch!' He said jokingly giving me a featherlight kiss on the cheek  
and jumping up. He had a lot of energy, I could tell, I just hoped some of it  
would rub off on me as I let out a yawn that I tried to stiffle.

'That  
meal I was talking about will give you some energy! Which is perfect because it  
just so happens to be lunch time!' He added happily holding out his hand for me  
to take which I gladly did, I enjoyed the feeling of his soft palm in mine.

I expected him to let go when I had stood but he didn't instead he gave  
me a small smile and led me back to the entrance hall. When we reached the doors  
we gave each other a small smile. I wasn't sure what was happening or what they  
were going to do, surely they wouldn't walk in hand in hand, that would still  
cause an uproar from the houses because of who they were. I didn't have to worry  
though when he stopped her just outside the great hall.

'I'm going to  
go to the Slytherin table and listen to all the boring gossip they tend to  
spread but I will tell you now if I do not see you eat a full plate of food I  
will come over there and hex you into oblivion!' He laughed and I basked in the  
sound of it, he had a throaty deep chuckle that made my insides melt. I couldn't  
deny it, I loved his laugh.

I threw my hands in the air in mock  
surrender. 'Yes sir!' I replied with a small smirk enjoying the laughter that  
danced in his eyes. We gave each other another smile before walking into the  
great hall and sitting down for lunch.

I kept to my word and scooped a  
lot of food onto my plate, a little bit of everything and when I looked over at  
the man who had helped me so much in the past couple hours I laughed at his  
raised eyebrow. I grabbed a small sandwich and took a large bite out of it  
sending him a smirk which he responded to with a wide smile and a bit of  
laughter.

'You look much better today, 'Mione' Ginny exclaimed happily,  
giving me a small hug and a toothy grin.

'I feel much better' I replied  
and for once I was sincere. I gave her a smile and continued to eat all the food  
on my plate till it was clean and when I looked up again I was staring directly  
into the eyes I had begun to love so much. Literally. Blaise Zabini had left the  
Slytherin table and was now sitting across from me.

'I see you cleaned  
your plate!' He laughed.

I looked around, the entire hall was silent,  
teachers and students alike stared at us with open shock. I let out a little  
chuckle and looked back at Blaise who was doing what I just had, looking around.  
'For Merlins sake people! The war is over! Don't look so shocked!' He yelled  
causing everyone to look down at their plates.

I looked up at the head  
table and noticed the small smile playing on Professor McGonagall's lips, I  
gave her a weak smile and looked back at Blaise. 'Well.. this is a surprise' I  
said to which he just cocked his head to the side and popped a grape in his  
mouth.

The weeks flew by quickly after that day, each day I found myself  
smiling a little more and because of Blaise's obsession with me eating a healthy  
meal three times a day I had started to gain some of my weight back. I was  
actually starting to be happy, I spent more and more time with him saving some  
time for Ginny of course who was ecstatic that I wasn't ignoring her anymore.  
Things were starting to go back to normal, I was blaming myself less and less  
for what had happened during the war, something Blaise had shown me how to do.

He believed in me, he befriended me and slowly it was turning into  
something else. When we walked anywhere we usually held hands, he always gave me  
small kisses on the forehead and cheek but nothing more than that. I think he  
didn't want to scare me which I was thankful for because I was still a little  
jumpy around men, not him anymore which made me incredibly happy but I didn't  
want things to move too fast, the thought sent shivers down my spine.

I  
was lost in my own world when I heard his voice call me from behind. I turned  
around and a smile fell across my lips. I gave him a hug and lingered in his  
arms, I felt protected and safe when I was with him, like nothing else mattered  
in the world.

'Can I talk to you for a moment?'He asked, a nervous  
fluttering started in my stomach and I must have looked worried for he hastily  
added that it wasn't anything bad and gave me a shy smile.

'Sure' I  
replied with a smile of my own and followed him into an empty  
classroom.

'Hermione..'He started, he was playing with his hands and  
looking at his feet. 'The past month has been fantastic, I've really enjoyed  
spending time with you..' He trailed off, he seemed nervous..

'..but?' I  
asked, he had said it was nothing bad but I couldn't help feel worried. He was  
what had brought me back, he had taught me to be myself again I wouldn't be able  
to take it if he left me.

'No buts' He said with a smile. 'I was  
wondering.. if.. ifyouwouldbemygirlfriend' He rushed out, I looked at him  
confused, I really hadn't understood a word he had said.

He sighed and  
looked me in the eyes, I had never seen him nervous before, he was always so  
confident. 'Will you be my girlfriend?' He asked and I understood him perfectly  
this time, nervousness crept over me and I bit my lower lip. 'We don't have to  
do anything that would make you uncomfortable' He said quickly, his voice  
sounding stronger and I looked up into his eyes. 'All I know is that I can't  
stand it when I'm not around you, I love the feeling of you in my arms, your the  
reason I get up in the morning, Hermione Granger'

I felt a sudden warmth  
swell inside of me, I felt the exact same way around him, my thoughts tumbled  
inside my head screaming at me to answer him and I did just that. I looked at  
him and gave him the biggest smile I could muster 'I would love to Blaise  
Zabini'

Relief swelled inside of him, he had been sure she was going to  
turn him down, so sure he was going to be rejected but she had said yes. She had  
made him happier than he had ever been before. He looked down into her eyes, the  
same eyes that had been empty and emotionless a month ago that were now flooded  
with warmth and excitement and he slowly brought his head down to her level,  
never taking his eyes off of her.

I watched as his face came closer and  
I expected to feel the rush of fear that I was sure was supposed to be there but  
it wasn't and that was all I needed to close the gap and press my lips against  
his. I wrapped my arms around his neck and played with his silky smooth hair  
pulling away to lean my forehead against his.

'Thank you' I whispered,  
pulling back to look him in the eyes. 'Thank you so much, Blaise'

'For  
what?' He asked curiously, playing with a lock of my hair gently.

'For  
being you. For being there for me. For saving me from the darkness I would have  
drowned in by now'

'You don't need to thank me Hermione, it's been all  
you. You're the one that has mustered up the courage to forgive yourself, you're  
the one who has stayed strong throught this process.' He told me proudly.  
'You're the one who has made me completely and utterly fall in love with you' He  
added in a whisper, searching my face for a reaction.

Surprised I looked  
at him and searched for a sign that he was joking or even lying but I couldn't  
find one. 'What a coincidence, ' I replied smoothly 'I just so happened  
to have fallen in love with you as well.'

I had surprised even myself  
with that confession but Blaise stood there with a smile so big I'm surprised it  
fit on his face before he leaned down and gave me another passionate kiss and  
put his arms around me and lifted me in the air, spinning me  
around.

'You just made me the happiest man in the world'

I gave  
him shy smile. 'It's the least I could do' I said 'You saved me'

For  
the first time in my life I was in love, in love with a man that loved me back,  
that appreciated me and would never hurt me. I knew all of these things and that  
just made me love him more. Soon people stopped staring at us, we weren't the  
top news anymore. Ginny had accepted Blaise as soon as she found out that he was  
the reason I had started to heal and with Blaise's encouragement I had told her  
what had happened during the war, to my surprise she wasn't angry or disgusted  
she had been sad, sad that she hadn't been there to help me, sad that I hadn't  
told her about it in the first place and sad that she hadn't realized that was  
the real reason I had been so anti-social.

I looked around once more, no  
longer did I see memories from the war hidden everywhere around the castle,  
instead I saw new memories that Blaise, Ginny and I had made. Things were  
looking great for me, I didn't have an ounce of sadness left in me, there really  
was no space with how much happiness and love swirled around inside my body just  
ready to burst.

I had been healed. Blaise truly was my knight in  
shining armor and I was his damsel in distress. Or at least I was.

* * *

_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little piece of work! Reviews are always appreciated! :)**_


End file.
